San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-02-09
What San Antonio Needs.

1 For the LIGHT:
In my judgment San Antonio has
now reached the critical stage, the
/ turning point, SO TO speak, in Its NUM-
/ cipal life, aud it is of the utmost mo-
ment to the future growth and prosper
| ity of.tbe city that the property owners
and the business men should fully recog-
hize this fact and hasten to act upon It
with vigor betting the exigency of
| the situation.
It is entirely superflous to remark that
where push and pluck are the character
! istics of the age, and progress and enter
| prise are the watehwOrds of every live
city in the Union, a city which mani
tests deafness of spirit, want of enter
| prise and supine Indifference has no
right TO expect to grow and prosper and
| will be certain TO have her trade diver
| ted to other towns OF more vim and en-
| teTprise. liz is q great mistake to con-
| ceive that none except business men are
interested in the future growth of San
| Antonio in population and wealth, and
under this mistaken belief to devolve
upon them the entire burden OF all meas
ures that are set on foot to augment the
business of our city. Every owner of
real estate is as deeply interested as any
business man In the future growth OF the
level headed and rejecting men are con-
cerned. an answer to the above question
| is unnecessary; but as it is the mis-
| fortune OF our city to contain quite a
| numher OF real estate owners that are
| CLOSE listed, short-slghted and unpro-
gressiye. and who refuse 10 contribute
TO any scheme calculated to augment the
trade of the city, the question requires
an answer. Ii is sad pity that many
| OF the rich men of San Antonio are as
destitute of the spirit of progress as a
hog is Of melody, or mule lie of
dOcility and gentleness. This class
turn their backs on every scheme
| to build up San Antonio, and clog the
wheels of progress. If these men could
but hear citizens declare daily that their
| death would be a helping to the city by
removing the main obstacles to its
growth, they would certainly lay aside
their RIGHTEOUSNESS and Indifference and
manifest an interest in the oity's pros
perity proportionate to the property
owned by them. me of the most in
veterate mOssbaoks are large real estate
owners and business men. 1t certainly
is not pleasant to be looked upon with
contempt by ones fellow citizens, be.
cause of undisgused indifference to the
growth Of the city.
We're the trade and business of San
Antonio doubled, the advantages would
be shared by every property owner In
the city. The price of real estate would
| advance. Population and capital would
pour in with steady tide, and this
would cause real estate TO advance In
value from year to year. Money would
become plentiful and easy and trade
brisk and profitable.
Are not these advantages worthy of
being sought and struggled for with all
our energies? That ia the question in
nut shell.
But there ia one other fact that de-
serves to be mentioned, and that is that
the growth of San Antonio would nee
essarily augment the value of every
acre of land In Bexar county. A popu-
lation of 10000 souls in San Antonio
would require an increased supply of
vegetables, hay, oats, milk, ponltry,
eggs, beef and pork, and would thus
stimulate farmers and dairymen to pro-
duce enough to supply this increased de-
mand.
Now the first step in the path of i'm
provement, that ought to be taken,
Ia to construct system Of sew
erage and OF proper street improve
ments Nor should this work be done
by piecemeal and by scraps. No sensi-
BILE person would build house in any
such piecemeal fashions little every
year for twenty years, And it is just rs
foolish for city to pursue such
course. The more speedily
improvements shall be made, the better
will it be for the future growth of San
Antonio. The city has probably expend.
ed 100000 in street improvements dur
| ing the past eighteen months-the work
hoa Epal Inna a ha 20 nj iol-
ly beneficial character. but at the same
rate, 1t would take twenty-five years to
improve the streets. It is more just to
all the citizens TO push forward general
street improvements than il is to i'm
prove one or two streets during each
year. TO illustrate, how does the i'm
| provement Of south Flores and Goliad
| streets and Avenue ID benefit the real
estate owners on SOledad, Acequia or
Laredo streets? They are taxed to i'm
prove those streets, yet they are not at
all benefited thereby. This illustrates
quite forcibly the impolicy and injustice
| of improving the streets by piecemeal -
| little by little. When street improve
ment is made by pieoemeal, favoritism
| usually determines the street that shall
be improved, and this occasions dissat-
isfaction and complaint.
The work should be prosecuted gener-
ally and vigorously. The sewers should
first be put down, without delay, so as
TO avoid the necessity of tearing up the
streets after they shall have been i'm
| proved.
1t would be an insult TO your readers
for me to make an elaborate argument
| to prove the absolute necessity of sys-
TEN of sewers TO preserve the health OF
our citizens. This is generally conceded;
only few mOssbacks demuT to it; and
even they are getting ashamed of retard-
ing the growth of the city by their "pen-
ny wise and pound foolish" ideas.
| How are sewers and street improve
ments TO be obtained?
The city must borrow million of dol
lars upon twenty year bonds, and use 1t
in constructing sewers and making
street improvements. This sum will sBf
flee. If judiciOusly expended. In my
next, this matter will be further consid-
cred. TONEY.
WNV\N,A life are sorrowfulIy let
alone on account of Dyspepsia. Acker's
Dyspepsia Tablets will cure Dyspepsia,
Indigestion and Constipation; sold on a
positive guarantee at % and 90 cents, by
For Sale by Rsgland & Kennedy.
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